Youth Barometer: Generation Stress?

Section Navigation

Share Buttons

The world belongs to the young, goes the saying. However, the results of the 2016 Credit Suisse Youth Barometer don't fully reflect this sense of freedom. A more fitting epithet for many of today's 16- to 25-year-olds is "generation stress."

The Survey

The 2016 Credit Suisse Youth Barometer surveyed some 1,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 in the United States, Brazil, Singapore, and Switzerland.

They are permanently online in a world where communication trends are changing all the time. Snapchat is the hottest app this year. And the internet has made politics much more accessible.

The young people surveyed in Switzerland, Brazil, Singapore, and the US want to have it all in life. They want to have a successful career with a good work/life balance at the same time, be independent and yet work for an international company, save less, but also buy a house. They are online in almost everything they do, as they communicate with each other constantly, play games, and discover new platforms. In Credit Suisse's seventh Youth Barometer young people talk about their lives, their values, their aspirations, their work, and their outlook on the world.

Politics Online

Because we are currently living in politically active times, the focus of this year's survey is politics on the web. The first chapter and the main feature discussion with politicians Flavia Kleiner (Operation Libero), Lukas Reimann (SVP), and Professor Otfried Jarren (University of Zurich) are dedicated to this topic.

Communication

WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram – if you want to find out more about young people, you need to know how they communicate. However, there are some surprising differences between the countries covered by the survey. Snapchat is the hot new arrival this year.

Trends and Media

Young people's lives are shaped by digital, mobile, and social interaction. If there had to be one symbol for the young generation, it would probably be the smartphone. The US sociologist Sherry Turkle also talks about the changes brought about by digital technology. She is worried about the current generation, which she believes suffers from "attentional disarray."

Jobs, Finances, and Careers

The challenging economic environment of recent years has left its mark. Young people have growing financial worries. Nonetheless, the current generation of 16- to 25-year-olds also have very clear expectations with regard to jobs, finances, and careers. The Youth Barometer also looks into what industries young people are most interested in, and what they consider important in an employer.

Detailed Information Available as a Download

In the Download Center you will find all the final reports, analyses and information graphics for the Youth Barometer. Get a valuable overview of the results of recent years to help form your own opinion.

#youthbarometer

Follow the discussion of this year's Youth Barometer on Twitter and join in.